Monday, May 6, 2013

Arkansas Governor Approves Whole Child Legislation!

May 6, 2013 by Melissa Mellor

Arkansas Governor Michael Beebe signed a new bill into law that promotes a whole child approach to educating the state's children. The legislation (PDF) establishes a Whole Child Whole Community recognition program and aims to measure the comprehensive well-being of children and how well stakeholders are meeting their needs according to the five whole child tenets (healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged) and their indicators as identified by ASCD.

The recognition program will acknowledge and highlight the work of Arkansas educators, parents, community members, and policymakers who support the whole child. A diverse state working group will recommend a framework and process for recognizing exemplary whole child and whole community successes.

The legislation also indicates that one purpose of the recognition program is to help spur systemic collaboration and coordination within and beyond schoolhouse doors and to promote a shift from narrowly defined student achievement and traditional education reform to broader, more comprehensive efforts that recognize the crucial out-of-school factors that influence teaching and learning.

Senator Joyce Ann Elliott—a longtime advocate for whole child education—sponsored the bill, which was

Diane in the Evening 5-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Egg on Faces of Bobby Jindal and John White

by dianerav

My, how things change in only one year.
Last year, Governot Jindal rushed through his legislation to strip teachers of tenure, base 40% of their evaluation on test scores, make all teachers at-will employees, subject to dismissal with one bad rating, and everything else that Jindal and White could dream up to make it hard on teachers.
When challenged in court, the law was declared unconstitutional because it covered too

Why Carol Burris Is Disappointed by TC

by dianerav

Carol Corbett Burris has been one of the leaders of the battle against the Néw York State educator evaluation system, which was developed after the state won a Race to the Top grant of $700 million. Burris helped created the principals’ rebellion against test-based evaluations of teachers and principals.
She also was recently selected by her peers as New York’s Principal of the Year. She is principal of South Side High School in Rovkville Center.
Here Carol explains why she is disappointed by Teachers College’s decision to honor the Chancellor of the Board of Regents, whose policies Carol and her colleagues oppose.
I Oates about TC’s press release earlier today, in which it saluted Merryl Tisch for her leadership in tying teacher

Will My School Die?

by dianerav

The teacher who wrote this post reequired anonymity, for obvious reasons:
I am writing to tell you about a situation at my school — Shea High in Pawtucket, RI.
At the start of last year, both Shea and Tolman High (the only two non-charter public high schools in Pawtucket) were told that they had failed to make AYP as per NCLB and would have to undergo transformation. Note that since RI has accepted RttT, last year was the last possible year that this could have happened.
Despite high poverty, transience, ESL population, etc. the only AYP target that Shea had failed to meet was for graduation rate. It had remained stagnant at about 59% for three years, just barely failing to meet the target of 60%.
When the announcement was made last year that we were to undergo transformation, we were told that this

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] How the “Rich Boyz” of School Reform Struck Out in Boston by dianerav EduShyster here tells the heartwarming story of how DFER tried to elect one of their own in Boston (white, privileged, no experience or knowledge of public schools necessary) and lost. If you recall, the California Democratic Party called out DFER as a front for Republican and corporate interests. Here are the key paragraphs of the resolution: “Whereas, the political action committee, entitle... more »

NYC Educator: Was Cathie Black a Victim of Sexism?

NYC Educator: Was Cathie Black a Victim of Sexism?:

Was Cathie Black a Victim of Sexism?

by NYC Educator

With the release of the Cathie Black emails, I'm reading a lot of speculation on how attacks against her were sexist. After all, she is a woman. We didn't know a whole lot more about her at the time of her nomination, other than the fact she had virtually no educational experience, a big plus for Mayor Bloombucks, who apparently met her at the Rich Folks Galas they sipped champagne at.

And yet, many spoke of what a brilliant choice it was at the time. Well, hindsight is 20/20, and even the NY Post, which initially adored her, has pretty much come around to saying what those of us who were not insane were saying at the time. So were we sexist?

Well, she did come across as a blithering ignoramus. However, that's not entirely her fault. After all, she knew nothing whatsoever about the job she'd taken. So why was anyone surprised when she looked like a deer in the headlights or blurted out inanities? It was very much to be expected.

And yet, Joel Klein did not have similar issues. Sure, he knew nothing about education. Sure, he made many an inane utterance. And yet, the papers loved him. He blathered on about theories that had no basis in reality,

Search Delayed for New Memphis Superintendent Until Dirty Work Wrapped Up – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

Search Delayed for New Memphis Superintendent Until Dirty Work Wrapped Up – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

Search Delayed for New Memphis Superintendent Until Dirty Work Wrapped Up

by Jim Horn

Broad Academy Graduates

All the pieces were in place for the installation of Eli Broad’s choice for the new Shelby County/Memphis superintendent when suddenly someone in the office of the search firm, PROACT, called a time out. Over the next few months, there is plenty of dirty work to be done, and no one at PROACT wants their new Broadie tainted by the anti-public and anti-teacher crackdown that is part of the privatization scheme now underway.

There’s the planned closing of so many Memphis public schools (11 now scheduled), the dumping of experienced teachers, the hiring of TFA corporate colonizers and the local missionary equivalents from the “Christ-centered” Memphis Teacher Residency, the outsourcing of services from custodial to transportation, and turnover of closed public schools to the corporate charters so that they will have space to operate their behavioral-neutering operations without any public officials snooping around. And then there is that $58 million budget hole created by local loss of so much state funding that will go directly to

Education Week publishes an “apology” for Duncan at #AERA13

MAY 6, 2013 BY CHALK FACE, PHD LEAVE A COMMENT

The horror. Our Secretary of Education, who is the CEO of disaster as far as many of us are concerned, got a few boos during a speech at AERA. Pearl clutching ensued.

I’m sure folks are very, very sorry.

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Bridging Campus and Classroom Divides: The Mutual Benefits of Partnerships | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Bridging Campus and Classroom Divides: The Mutual Benefits of Partnerships | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Bridging Campus and Classroom Divides: The Mutual Benefits of Partnerships

by American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

By Sharon P. Robinson, Ed.D., President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)

AACTE's recent report The Changing Teacher Preparation Profession: A Report From AACTE's Professional Education Data System (PEDS) tells of the rapidly shifting work of preparing U.S. teachers. The report finds the academic prowess of college students entering teacher preparation is strong, with programs attracting students with GPAs that exceed minimum entry requirements. We also see that preservice programs are designing alternative routes to licensure, integrating technology to meet the needs of distance learners, and working to incorporate capstone performance assessments such as edTPA.
The report's findings also indicate that more work is needed to make extended clinical experiences a central component of preparation. Although virtually all programs incorporate supervised field experiences, only 5 percent have a full-year residency program. One-year residency programs are required for eligibility for the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Grant Program and they are championed in recent reports, such as those from NCATE's Blue Ribbon Panel and the National Research Council, as well as in AACTE's PEDS report. Further, we know that candidates who engage more regularly in actual classroom activities are more likely to remain in the profession and have a more positive impact on student learning than
read more

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Rules - Public Input

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Rules - Public Input:

Charter Rules - Public Input

by Melissa Westbrook

Wall Street ♥ charter schools | Muckety - See the news

Here are the documents that school districts will use regarding charter school applications.

One is a letter of instructions.
Another is an application (I-V).
Still another is a statement of assurances. This one had one thing that I hadn't really seen before - that districts not only have to solicit applications for new charter schools but for conversion ones as well. To me, any district that says "hey we have this school that we've tried everything with. Come take it over, send the students in all directions and take our building." That would be one interesting solicitation.

That was not my reading of the initiative (but, as the AG's rep says, she finds something new every time she reads the law so I'm not alone).

This document - Charter School Authorizer and Approval Process- is lengthy but chockful of good information.

This Wednesday, May 8th, a couple of members of the Charter Commission will go to the State Board of

Student Study: An Inquiry on Teacher Strikes – Kush Mukerjee Student Voice

Student Voice:

Student Study: An Inquiry on Teacher Strikes – Kush Mukerjee

by Editor Admin

Introducing the Student Study! Student Studies are extended blog posts written by students on a variety of different education related topics, all using a scholarly format. They’re longer pieces, so if you have the time, sit down, give it a read, and appreciate the keen insights of one of today’s students.
In my experience, teacher strikes are ineffective and prolonged. In my senior year of high school, the teachers union had all of the teachers strike against the Board of Education in an effort to pay the teachers higher wages for their afterschool work. The organized union strike entailed that all the teachers stop helping students besides the hours that they are paid to work. This meant that there would be no afterschool clubs, no before-school help before 7:30 A.M., and no afterschool help after 2:15 P.M. This had a profound effect on students who could not make up work, seek extra help, or prepare for their class material.
According to Zwerling, Assistant Director of Research at Pennsylvania State Education Association, “Critics of

Randi Weingarten to speak at YUC awards ceremony | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Randi Weingarten to speak at YUC awards ceremony | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Randi Weingarten to speak at YUC awards ceremony

by Wendy Harris

Youth United for Change will hold its 22nd Annual Award Ceremony and reception on Tuesday, May 7. The theme for this year’s event is “Defending Public Education.” American Federation of Teacher’s President Randi Weingarten will be the keynote speaker.
Weingarten, a union leader, has advocated for partnerships with parents and students around reforms that improve public school education nationwide. In March, she joined hundreds of teachers, students, parents, and other public school advocates outside District headquarters in protest of mass school closings. She later was arrested, along with 18 other protesters, in an organized attempt to block School Reform Commission members from entering a meeting to vote on which schools would be shuttered.

read more

It’s a d*am shame. (Just a rant about STPP and whatnot) | Cooperative Catalyst

It’s a d*am shame. (Just a rant about STPP and whatnot) | Cooperative Catalyst:

It’s a d*am shame. (Just a rant about STPP and whatnot)

by Jabreel Chisley

The United States will criminalize itself off a cliff at the pace it is working to institutionalize this nation’s youth. It makes no sense that over 10 million youth are rotting away in this nation’s jails and prisons when half of them do petty crimes that can be addressed with conflict mediation or restorative justice. It is unfathomable that such depravity can exist, especially when it is wrapped in context with racism and classism. How is it that this nation has 5 times as many youth in prisons and jails than any other country? How is that justice? How is that beneficial in any capacity? It is a travesty and a grave violation of ethics and morality…that is what it is.
The part that pisses me off to the core though is that somehow we have allowed this rigid line of ideology to somehow come and punish creativity and curiosity. How is it that a country that consistently complains about not having enough capable or wanting minds for STEM, see no issue with punishing the very children who have some inclination toward it. I do not for the life of me understand it….it is as if we are speaking in double rhetoric

Testing creating crisis in student mental health Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Testing creating crisis in student mental health:

PSAT for 5-7-13: Say no to 36!

by admin

When it come to class size, research shows that less really is more.

Raise Your Hand Illinois came to prominence in the spring of 2010 with their “Say No to 37″ campaign, a protest against CPS plans to balance the budget by raising class size.
Now RYH is sponsoring a petition against the Chicago Public Schools space utilization formula used to declare dozens of schools “underutilized” and therefore in danger of closure this year. According to this formula, 36 children in a room is considered an “efficient” use of space, i.e. you can have 36 students in every homeroom in CPS and not be considered overcrowded. RYH charges that many of CPS’ plans for closings will lead to overcrowding next year.
The petition asks CPS to revise their space utilization policy.
For Public Schools Action Tuesday (a day early) please sign and share their petition.

Testing creating crisis in student mental health

by admin

I am sharing this letter from Joyce Feilke, a school counselor in Austin,Texas. Joyce reached out to PURE with this powerful letter, which she has sent to two Texas state legislators. Joyce has a Masters in Counseling and Psychology from the University of North Texas, and has been a school counselor since 1980.

We are asking other mental health professionals to speak out similarly on behalf of our children whose mental, social and emotional health is at serious risk due to the corporate reform scourges ofschool closings, high-stakes testing, and other so-called reforms. Please share Joyce’s letter, and help us reach out to more child development and mental health professionals for more testimony, letters, research, and other resources. Parents especially need to know more about what is being done to our children in the name of school reform.

****

COPY SENT TO STATE SENATORS: JANE NELSON & KIRK WATSON 4/16/2013

Dear Senator Kirk Watson, Educators, & Medical Professionals,

I am writing to request your help in changing our current school obsession with testing. I believe the impact it is having on the mental health of the younger children in Texas has reached a level of crisis. I think we need an Education Task Force for crisis intervention.

For the past 30 years, I have worked as a counselor in some of the best schools in Texas, most

Shanker Blog » About Value-Added And "Junk Science"

Shanker Blog » About Value-Added And "Junk Science":

About Value-Added And “Junk Science”

by Matthew Di Carlo

One can often hear opponents of value-added referring to these methods as “junk science.” The term is meant to express the argument that value-added is unreliable and/or invalid, and that its scientific “façade” is without merit.
Now, I personally am not opposed to using these estimates in evaluations and other personnel policies, but I certainly understand opponents’ skepticism. For one thing, there are some states and districts in which design and implementation has been somewhat careless, and, in these situations, I very much share the skepticism. Moreover, the common argument that evaluations, in order to be “meaningful,” must consist of value-added measures in a heavily-weighted role (e.g., 45-50 percent) is, in my view, unsupportable.
All that said, calling value-added “junk science” completely obscures the important issues. The real questions here are less about the merits of the models per se than how they’re being used.
If value-added is “junk science” regardless of how it’s employed, then a fairly large chunk of social scientific research is “junk science.” If that’s your opinion, then okay – you’re entitled to it – but it’s not very compelling, at

Will a Year's Delay Save the Common Core? A Response to Weingarten's Proposal - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Will a Year's Delay Save the Common Core? A Response to Weingarten's Proposal - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Will a Year's Delay Save the Common Core? A Response to Weingarten's Proposal

by Anthony Cody

A week ago, Randi Weingarten gave a speech expressing some strong views on the Common Core. Her plea is that leaders across the country give schools a one year reprieve before the harsh consequences attached to new assessments linked to the Common Core begin to take effect.
She also shared the results of a poll that shows that most teachers WANT the standards to succeed. Most of us are invested in challenging our students, and like the idea of re-thinking our curriculum with colleagues. The Common Core has, in some places, given teachers rare time to do this vital work.
However, I do not share her optimism that this additional time will do more than forestall the disaster these tests will be for our schools.
The big selling point for these tests from the start has been that they will be fundamentally different from every

Mother Crusader: My 52 Views on High-Stakes Tests

Mother Crusader: My 52 Views on High-Stakes Tests:

My 52 Views on High-Stakes Tests

by darciecima

WE ARE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, AMERICA!!!!

Today marks the second week of NJASK testing here in New Jersey. Grades 5 and 6 began testing this morning, and make-ups are being conducted for 7th and 8th graders that weren't tested last week.

Last week parents were told that if they insisted on opting out their child's test would be scored a zero and their child would be placed in remedial classes next year.

Reports are coming in today that students are being forced to sit through make-up sessions even though they opted out last week. The only options presented to parents are to keep children home during the make-ups or have their child pulled from class only to sit in front of a blank test booklet.

NJ opt-outers are attempting to work with administrators to come up with more student-centered solutions for

The “Dirty Dozen” Ways Charter Schools Influence Student Enrollment - Jonathan Kantrowitz

The “Dirty Dozen” Ways Charter Schools Influence Student Enrollment - Jonathan Kantrowitz:

A a moratorium on the stakes associated with Common Core assessments?

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has called for a moratorium on the stakes associated with Common Core assessments until the standards are properly implemented and field-tested. Weingarten said a moratorium is necessary on the consequences of high-stakes tests to allow for midcourse corrections, as needed, in aligning the standards, curriculum, teacher training, instruction Read More

The “Dirty Dozen” Ways Charter Schools Influence Student Enrollment

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Charter schools may be public, but they can shape their student enrollment in surprising ways. This is done though a dozen different practices that often decrease the likelihood of students enrolling with a disfavored set of characteristics, such as students with special needs, those with low test scores, English learners, or students in poverty.

“The Dirty Dozen: How Charter Schools Influence Student Enrollment,” is by Kevin Welner, Professor of education policy at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education and director of the National Education Policy Center.

To describe the strategies, Welner’s Teachers College Record article identifies 12 different approaches, using lighthearted category names such as “The Bum Steer,” “Location, Location, Location,” and “Mad Men.” But the subject itself is of crucial importance, since it raises vital issues concerning equity as well as the reporting of research outcomes.

Researchers and governmental authorities have long known that charter schools generally under-serve a community’s at-risk students. Welner’s article builds on this research to explore the charter school practices that result in those enrollment outcomes.

When charter schools fail to serve a cross-section of their community, they undermine their own potential and they distort the larger system of public education. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” says Welner. “The task for

UPDATE: PWCS Inflating Construction Costs? + School Board Report – April 3, 2013 | PWC Education Reform Blog

School Board Report – April 3, 2013 | PWC Education Reform Blog:

Is PWCS Inflating Construction Costs?

by pwceducationreform

Loudoun County awarded a bid to build their next high school for $64 million. Stafford County awarded a bid to build their next high school for $59 million. PWCS projects that it will cost $100 million, excluding the pool, to build their next high school. The schools will house approximately the same number of students [...]

School Board Report – April 3, 2013

by pwceducationreform

School Board Report for April 3, 2013.

All members were present.

Consent Agenda

All items on the consent agenda were approved unanimously. The items on the agenda include the following:

Local Special Education Action Plan

FY 2013 State Technology Grant 0 Intent to Reimburse

Renewal and Addition – Dumfries Elementary School

Special Warrant for School Board Review and Approval of Feb 2013 Payroll

New Course Offerings for 2013 – 2014

VSBA 2013 Business Honor Roll Recommendation

Multi-Disciplinary Habitual Runaway/Victim Review Team Memorandum of Understanding

Confirmation of Board Poll dated March 8, 2013 – Carry Over the March 6, 2013 School Board Agenda to March 13, 2013

Confirmation of Board Poll dated March 8, 2013 – Parkside and River Oaks Addition Contracts

NatureBridge Agreements for Field Science Program

Approval of School Board Meeting Minutes for March 20, 2013

Citizen Comments

Eight citizens addressed the school board. Board policy is to allow 30 minutes of citizen comments at this stage with other speakers allowed to address the board after board comments.

Speaker #1: a student at OPHS addressed the school board about being allowed to attend the BCS National Cheer competition. Student thanked her coach and team.

Speaker #2: three students from Woodbridge Middle School addressed the school board about the recognition

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Two Events to Note

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Two Events to Note:

Two Events to Note

by Melissa Westbrook

Both events are on Wednesday, May 15th.

One is the Seattle Foundation's Give Big day, the one-day online event to prod/inspire people to give to one (or more) of 1400 non-profits. It goes from midnight to midnight. Seattle Foundation then gives "a pro-rated portion of the matching funds. The amount of the "stretch" depends on the size of the stretch pool and how much is raised over the day."

Last year's total? $7.43M. That's big. If you are going to give, make it go farther.

Education groups include:

826 Seattle - a tutoring group that I work with. A great, great organization that serves students in multiple ways, both at their own site and in schools.
ACLU - supports civic freedoms in many ways including defending the rights of students

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, May 6, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Wall Street ♥ charter schools | Muckety - See the news

Education Headlines

Monday, May 6, 2013

Suspensions drop sharply in Stockton USD

The use of suspensions as a form of discipline is under scrutiny in the state Assembly, and Stockton Unified changed some of its conduct codes in 2011, taking suspensions off the table in many nonviolent situations where a student shows "defiance" to staff.

Schools lose $$

Tuolumne and Calaveras county schools lost out this spring on more than $1 million in funding for after-school programs.

Board member: 'I have done the best I can'

Three of the four Coachella Valley Unified school board members who were served recall notices Thursday night have declined to comment on the effort to remove them from office, but the fourth said he will respect the recall process if it carries public support.

Palm Desert High School dispute may stir harsher teacher tactics

A stalemate between the Desert Sands Unified School District and a teachers union is impacting a local high school, causing some teachers to consider a boycott of graduation.

Charter school principal put on leave resigns

Met High School Principal Allen Young, placed on administrative leave last week, has resigned, according to a spokesman for Sacramento City Unified School District. Young, who resigned Thursday, had been on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. Sacramento City Unified spokesman Gabe Ross said the district's investigation has been completed.

From deputy to undercover teen druggie

Armed with a two-month crash course in undercover drug buys, a youthful wardrobe from Forever 21 and a lot of material from Facebook, the sheriff’s deputy identified only by her code name “A-2” was ready to go back to high school. But could a woman in her late 20s realistically pass as a teenager? Yes, it turns out, and quite successfully.

School board members fight subpoena

The attorneys defending an $18 million lawsuit against the San Ysidro School District are resisting a request by the plaintiff’s attorneys to depose two school board members about why they canceled a solar-power contract.

Temecula district to prioritize bonds projects

The governing board of the Temecula Valley Unified School District on Tuesday will consider prioritizing a number of large-scale projects financed by the initial round of bond sales.

Schools, city teaming to fix traffic, safety issues

Menifee city officials have teamed up with local school administrators to tackle traffic issues near schools, including safety concerns and congestion before and after school.

Budget windfall for California schools

In the 30 days that account for more tax revenue coming into the state coffers than the rest of the year, California finished nearly $4.7 billion above what the governor projected in his budget for the current fiscal year.

Schools prepare for shooter on campus

As little as a decade ago, shooter-on-campus scenarios were not even considered by emergency planners at schools and universities. Now, they are a regular part of readiness training. In the past two weeks, at least three such drills have been run in the Inland area.

Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, May 6, 2013

Arkansas Governor Approves Whole Child Legislation!

Education Week publishes an “apology” for Duncan at #AERA13

Education Headlines